- 1991movierewind
Episode #92: Beauty and the Beast
Listen to Episode 92 of the Podcast here while you enjoy the show notes.
SUMMARY - Beauty and the Beast tells the story of a prince (played by Robby Benson) who has been cursed to live as a monster until he can find reciprocated love. The curse will become permanent if he doesn’t find love before the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. When Belle (played by Paige O’Hara) goes to the beast’s castle to save her imprisoned father, she finds herself trapped in a palace full of enchanted objects and a very angry host.
Animation Screenplay by Linda Woolverton; Directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise; and released in theaters everywhere on November 22, 1991.
FILM DISCUSSION
Immediately, the movie presents an immaculate level of detail. Even with these still stained glass images that tell the backstory, they feel very alive.
Then the animation clearly shows the difference their proprietary CAPS system can make. Without physical cels, Belle can weave between foreground and background seamlessly all while each element scrolls at different speeds.
The music makes the musical and in this one we both thought that it was alright, but not our favorites. Honestly, even a day later, we had trouble remembering that some of the songs existed.
The cast of characters were fun enough and oddly not too cartoony.
That was reserved for Gaston and Lefou
We liked how this breaks away from conventions in that the princess is somewhat in distress but actually is in charge of the rescuing (whether she knows it or not)
Of course a big deal was made of the use of computer graphics in this movie. The backgrounds are all painted except the ballroom scene and that limited use has a huge impact.
There's so much to discuss that we likely didn't cover it all, but we did our best and hopefully you'll listen to the episode and let us know what we missed.
Awards Talk: Oscar Winner for Best Score and Best Original Song (Beauty and the Beast). Nominated for Song (Be Our guest & Belle), Best Sound, Best Picture (the first animated feature to earn that). Golden Globe winner for Score, Song, and Best Picture Comedy/musical. The music earned four Grammy awards. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2002.
TRUE CRIME & POP CULTURE
This week we certainly aren't talking about true crime, so let's get into the pop culture surrounding the movie.
We talk about its place within the highest grossing Disney animated movies
Nikki goes through some of the original Beauty and the Beast story plot points by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve
Our episode recorded just a little bit before the new Beauty and the Beast 30th Celebration live performance was broadcast, so we couldn't do much other than say that it exists.
Of course the movie had toys and was part of the BK Kid's Club.
There were a couple different card sets - https://www.tcdb.com/ViewSet.cfm/sid/78443/1992-Pro-Set-Beauty-and-the-Beast
And several different video games over the years, but oddly none for the Game Boy: Jon's favorite system.
RANKINGS & RATINGS
Nikki 1-5 star scale - 3 out of 5
Jon 0-4 star scale - 3 1/2 out of 4
Would you watch it again? - Yes, we both would. And we prefer it to the 2017 live action movie that's an hour longer than this superior version. Neither of us thought the soundtrack was our favorite, but that doesn't take away from the story or incredibly beautiful and groundbreaking animation.
If you want to watch Beauty and the Beast, as of this recording in December 2022, it’s available on Disney+, Digital Rental, VHS, DVD. Check your local listings.
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